apologies for the loss of signal

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

I work in IT

So it comes as no surprise that whilst trying to add Antarctic Gray to my links I have deleted all the others. To save me trolling through Blogger looking for you all, please add a comment with your blog address if you want to be re-linked (or are new and want to be linked for a shiny first time)

Also, let me know your favourite apple. For no apparent reason. Mine is the granny smith. And I’m having one for my lunch each day. So I’m going to live longer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1180175.stm Or perhaps it just feels like it. I mean, sure the granny smith is a damn fine apple, as apples go. But its no bacon sarnie. There is all sorts of fascinating (in the loosest sense of the word) information on granny smiths here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Smith

On Polar Bears

Been reading this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7175652.stm and looking at various other polar bears are doomed related stuff. And, as always OMR has an opinion. Probably ill informed and possibly very wrong, but an opinion never the less.

Global warming is here. We have left it to late. The worlds largest polluter, the USA, still point blank refuses to reduce its emissions. Fortunately its moronic and evil president leaves office soon. Hopefully the next incumbent will actually give a damn about the planets future. But we all suspect it will be too little too late. The vast industrial boom in China and India continues apace. You’ve had your industrial revolutions they cry (with some justification) why shouldn’t we have ours? You want them to be eco friendly give us the technology. Give us the funding. And of course we won’t. The UK government has dithered and procrastinated on its energy policy for ten years. Nuclear? Severn Barrage? Carbon Capture? Now we face a massive & imminent energy shortfall, so it appears that against huge environmental opposition were going to build a big shiny new coal fired power station in Kent and massively increase our Carbon footprint. Sea levels will rise. The arctic ice will melt.

So were going to lose some species. Most noticeably big mammals. The tiger, despite huge conservation projects, will be virtually extinct in the wild in 20 years. (more human pressure than global warming, but still gone in 20 years) Fortunately, the Tiger adapts well to captivity. There is a very successful world captive breeding program. There will still be tigers in 50 years. We can look at our grandchildren and say ‘ok, we fucked up your planet. But you can fix it. You can make it right. You can reintroduce tigers into the wild’. There is still hope.

Not so the polar bear. One of the most depressing and disturbing sites of my life was a polar bear in Rome zoo. It paced in a small circle and tossed its head. Paced and tossed. Over and over. Clearly nuts. Polar bears are huge, vicious and solitary. They need the vast spaces of the arctic. There is no realistic possibility of a successful captive breeding program that leaves a vaguely sane polar bear population available to the future.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Its not all doom and gloom. We are an incredible species. Public opinion is turning. I firmly believe we can and will sort out global warming. I have huge hopes. Its just that its going to get worse before it gets better. A lot worse. And there’s going to be casualties.

Where does that leave the polar bear? Well they are the top of the food chain. Their extinction doesn’t have the massive implications for the planet that, say, the extinction of frogs has. And there really appears to be no realistic and humane way to save them. So, it hurts me enormously to say this. But perhaps we just have to let them go.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Still dieting, still miserable

So I’m sitting in the crown drinking orange & passion fruit Juice. As SJ tells me this matches my personality. I’m not sure if this is good or not. But monkey is on peach and mango juice so I figure I’m a winner. Now, I am drinking this as part of my highly enjoyable diet. Monkey is driving. His non drinking, as predicted, failed to go past new years day.

So, there we sit. Supping fruit juice. Looking like a couple of queers on a bad date. Its not the best time I’ve ever had. Fortunately, unlike beer, fruit juice sits heavy, I can only manage two, so I’m home by nine.

And wake up at 2am with a massive dose of Hobsons arse. How unfair is that. I never had a drop of the good stuff, but apparently just inhaling the fumes renders my bowels liquid. Two damn hours sweating on the pan in the middle of the night. Still, must have lost a few pounds.

Monday, January 07, 2008

on Beetles

As regular readers will know I am disturbed by beetles. Well, not by beetles, I am not a beetleaphobe. Its Beetle statistics. Things like species of beetles 300000 +, species of humans 1. So I’m reading an article about how Beetles have been around since the Jurrasic period, seriously pre dating flowering plants and it slips in that a quarter of all living things on the planet today are beetles. That’s one in four living things is a beetle. And there were four of us in the lift this morning. See where I’m going. One of those ‘people’ is a beetle in a cunning body suit. Got four children? Well, statistically you have three children and one beetle changeling. And I bet you can tell which one it is!

But, funnily, this doesn’t disturb me. Suddenly life makes a lot more sense. Paul, John, Ringo & George, not Beatles, but Beetles. Tony Blaire, clearly a beetle. Putin, yup, a six legger in disguise. Jacques Chirac – not a beetle, just French. George Bush, 100% roach in a costume. And as for all my ex girlfriends, that whole trying to bite my head off after sex thing., now I understand.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

I'm just popping out, I may be some time...

As regulars to the Crown will know, Gray has gone to the antarctic for 18 months. Strange lad.Anyway, I've set him up with a blog at http://antarctic-boy.blogspot.com/. So pop along and brighten his 24 hour daylight with suitably rude comments.

And a happy new year

I had a very pleasant new years eve in the Crown - may thanks to all and sundry for your company.And on new years day I ventured onto the scales. Well, its a new personal best, thats for sure. So its diet time. Today I had an apple for lunch. And later I shall kill one of my co-workers with a biro and gorge on the carcas. Possibly. I'm not good at being hungry. And worse, its a massive reduction in my beer intake. Its been less than 48 hours and I'm already hearing voices...

Still, I have a little bet with Monkey as to who weakens & has the first ale of 2008. I'm quietly confident about that one. Money in the bank!